Bad routing is a silent budget killer. Every unnecessary hundred miles burns fuel, eats a day, and exhausts the crew. Good routing strings your dates into a clean geographic line or loop with drives under five hours between shows. Pull up a map before you confirm anything. If a date forces a ten hour drive between two shows, it needs to pay enough to justify the dead day or it needs to move.
Cluster your markets. Hit the Northeast as a run, then the Southeast, then Texas, then the West Coast. Jumping from Boston to Miami to Chicago looks exciting on a poster and feels terrible in a van. Book anchor dates first in the cities that pay best, then fill the gaps around them with smaller rooms. A Tuesday night in a small market between two weekend anchors turns a travel day into a paid day.
Build rest into the route. One day off per week minimum, placed in a city where lodging is cheap or free. Tired crews get into accidents, miss load-ins, and play bad shows. Share driving in shifts and track mileage for taxes. Every mile is deductible, so log it. The tours that make money are routed with discipline. The ones that do not are routed with vibes.
Use routing software or even a simple map tool to visualize the full tour before committing to dates. Seeing the drives laid out reveals the illogical jumps that look fine in a list. Share the proposed route with the whole crew for input: drivers know realistic daily limits better than anyone. Build in buffer time for the unexpected, because something always goes wrong. A well routed tour feels smooth and professional. A poorly routed one feels like punishment by the third day.
About the Author – Ruben Burgos: Ruben Burgos brings over 25 years of music expertise and more than 15 years of model guidance to the table. He is the indie major pinnacle to retaining credits for musicians and helping them navigate this wicked industry without the fuckery.